Post navigation

The spread of technology from security cameras to smartphones in every pocket, has proved helpful to criminal investigations—including the one focused on this week’s Boston Marathon explosions, Joel Schectman reports on digits. Photo: Getty Images.

Video cameras played a critical role in helping authorities track suspects in this week’s Boston bombings. Now calls for increased camera surveillance in the U.S. are putting a spotlight on the technology and the debate about its use.

Authorities Thursday distributed video footage and still images of suspects in the Boston case, drawing from surveillance video from a store, restaurants and other areas. Some lawmakers think use of a better-connected system of cameras controlled or monitored by law enforcement might have helped speed the suspects’ identification.

“They had to piece together I don’t know how many thousands of videos,” said Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican who is on the House Committee on Homeland Security. “I think CCTV [closed-circuit television] cameras are much more needed in urban areas.”

LOS ANGELES — A lesbian couple facing immigration troubles has the standing to challenge the federal Defense of Marriage Act because it violates the constitutional rights of immigrants in same-sex marriages, a federal judge has ruled.

U.S. District Judge Consuelo Marshall also ordered Friday that the lawsuit, filed last year on behalf of Philippines citizen Jane DeLeon and her spouse Irma Rodriguez, can proceed as a class-action case.

DeLeon claimed in the lawsuit that she was eligible to obtain a green card, but wasn’t able to get a waiver she needs to obtain residency here because the U.S. government doesn’t recognize her same-sex marriage to an American.

Pressure mounts for a conscience vote on same sex marriage. Photo: Dallas Kilponen

Liberal MPs are quietly lobbying to change the party’s position on same-sex marriage to ensure a conscience vote on the issue, but are not pushing for a result before September’s federal election.

MPs are privately raising concerns with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott about the Coalition’s stance against same-sex marriage, but are aware that any major push to alter the party’s position before the election could damage its campaign.

There is also a view that the party room is not yet ready to back a conscience vote and if MPs were forced to make a decision before September, it would lock in a status quo position.

But supporters are optimistic that post the election, the chances of the party room agreeing to a conscience vote would be boosted by new MPs in the parliament and growing support within Liberal ranks.

Advertisement

It understood that the number of MPs who currently support a conscience vote is significantly greater than those who have publicly stated their position, such as communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull, South Australian senator Simon Birmingham and Melbourne MP Kelly O’Dwyer. It is also understood that when the matter last went before shadow cabinet, the decision was close.

Beyondblue and other mental health groups say Australia’s Christian leaders should be doing more to reduce high rates of suicide and self-harm among gay and lesbian parishioners, and criticised attempts to ”cure” homosexuals.

The national depression agency’s chief executive, Kate Carnell, wants churches to take responsibility for the damage caused when gay members are rejected or encouraged to undergo ”conversion” programs.

”It’s incumbent on churches not only to not discriminate but to support people who are doing it tough in their communities,” she said. ”We know that discrimination is a major contributing factor to mental health issues in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex community, so if their own belief structure is also being undermined by their church and they’re being excluded on the basis of their sexuality, it’s a double whammy.”

There have been further calls in the United States for men who have sex with men to get vaccinated against bacterial meningitis, also known as meningococcal disease, after a series of deaths from the disease in gay men.

Washington DC based LGBT heath provider Whitman-Walker Health has now proactively urged sexually active gay men in the district to also get immunized to prevent any deaths from the disease there.

‘Whitman-Walker Health recommends that all gay and bisexual men who meet the criteria set forth by the New York City Department of Health be vaccinated against bacterial meningitis,’ the organization posted on its website.

A Washington state florist who refused to service a gay wedding is facing two discrimination lawsuits.

Barronelle Stutzman is already being sued by the state attorney general for telling Robert Ingersoll and his partner Curt Freed last month that she couldn’t do their wedding because of her ‘relationship with Jesus Christ’.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a human rights lobbying organization, has slammed Stutzman with a second discrimination lawsuit seeking damages on behalf of the gay couple.

There was a marked increase in discrimination, social stigma, and violence against LGBT individuals who experienced discrimination in education, the workplace, and access to medical treatment and to information on the prevention of HIV/AIDS. The government took no significant action to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

During the year parliament approved on the first reading legislation that would restrict the rights of all Ukrainians to advocate for the human rights of LGBT individuals by making it a criminal offense to publish, broadcast, or otherwise distribute so-called “homosexual propaganda.” The bill did not become law. LGBT rights groups expressed concern that lawmakers continued their efforts to pass the bill.

On May 17, approximately 20 men who said they belonged to the Svoboda political party prevented a screening of the LGBT-focused film “Milk” at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. They demanded to see the license that authorized the screening. The screening was legally licensed, but organizers could not immediately produce the document. Fearing for their safety, the organizers acceded to the men’s demand not to show the film. Later, the Svoboda Web site reported that its activists “did not permit the showing” of the film.

On May 20, organizers of a gay pride march were forced to cancel the event after extremist groups engaged in coordinated efforts to stop the march through intimidation and violence, and police stated they would not protect participants if the march went forward. Five masked persons assaulted two event organizers after a press conference announcing the event’s cancellation. A third organizer was attacked and beaten a month later.

In September Our World released a report that analyzed the government’s failure to implement the Council of Europe’s (COE’s) 2010 recommendations for combating LGBT discrimination. According to the report, the authorities took no actions to implement any of the recommendations, collected no information about discrimination based on sexual orientation, and took no steps to combat homophobia and transphobia. The government failed to translate the COE’s recommendations into the national language or disseminate them. The researchers noted that homophobic rhetoric among local authorities and members of the national parliament continued to increase.

On December 8, extremists harassed, attacked, and used tear gas and violence to disperse a peaceful demonstration by LGBT activists and allies in Kyiv. At least two activists were beaten after the demonstration. Several extremists identified themselves as members of the Svoboda political party, which took credit on its Web site for breaking up the demonstration. Six demonstrators and two Svoboda members were detained and fined. A court later fined the protest organizer, Olena Shevchenko, 850 hryvnia ($106) for allegedly failing to notify authorities of the demonstration correctly in spite of the notification she had filed.

After a 102 hour manhunt ending in the backyard of a Watertown residence, the capture of the Boston Marathon Bomber, yields many questions yet to be answered and charged still to be filed. Here are 2 of many Statements circulating in social media today commenting on the judicial process that ought to be applied:

Just put out this statement with John McCain about the suspect captured in Boston and whether they should be held as an enemy combatant.

“We truly appreciate the hard work and dedication of our law enforcement and intelligence communities.

“It is clear the events we have seen over the past few days in Boston were an attempt to kill American citizens and terrorize a major American city. The accused perpetrators of these acts were not common criminals attempting to profit from a criminal enterprise, but terrorist trying to injure, maim, and kill innocent Americans.